McDonald's employees reveal hacks to get cheaper, fresher meals

Former McDonald's staff have revealed the best way to save money - and get fresher food - at the burger chain.

The restaurant giant has made a fortune by pre-making its burgers and fries to speed up service - but this often results in stale, limp food that's been sitting under a heat lamp too long.

For those in the know, there are some tricks to ensure you get the best bang for your buck:

The BBQ cheeseburger hack

The BBQ cheeseburger is part of the 'Cheesy Deals' menu, but for some reason the classic cheeseburger isn't.

A McDonald's worker told Newshub you can ask for no BBQ sauce and add ketchup, mustard and pickles for no extra charge.

Ta-da! You have a cheeseburger combo with medium fries and drink for $5.

Change one ingredient

If you ask for a cheeseburger with no pickles, or a McChicken with extra mayo, you won't end up with any ready-to-go burgers that have been waiting in the heater - they'll have to make one fresh for you.

Get fresh fries by asking for them without salt

Asking for fries without salt will force the cook to fry up a new batch.

According to a post on Quora, this is "true, but also a pain in the ass. The fry person will have to "wipe down the station, the fry scoop, and clear the area for the new batch."

But you could just ask...

Making the cook wipe down a space for your salt-free fries is pretty annoying, and you probably want salt anyway.

So why not just ask for fresh fries? This works for burgers too.

"If you ask for fresh, you typically get a fresh patty", Newshub's source said.

Try a steamed bun

The bun for a Filet-o-Fish is slightly different to the other burgers - it's steamed.

You can ask for a steamed bun on any other burger, but it's supposed to go particularly well with a cheeseburger.

If you can make that a double cheeseburger with extra mayo and a steamed bun, our source tells us it's "delicious".